This may sound like comfort food on a cold night, but this one can be great all year round. Add in any seasonal veggies that need to be used up from your fridge. So many ingredients in this recipe are health-promoting and cancer-preventing, that this was the first recipe I made for my friend Alyson on my visit to take her to radiation.

Ingredients
1 cup pot barley
4 cups low sodium beef broth
½ oz (14g) dried sliced shiitake mushrooms, or ~ ½ cup fresh
1 ½ cups yam, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 cup cashews, chopped

Directions
Crock Pot Version – Rinse pot barley under cool running water. Drain well and place in slow cooker. Add beef broth, shitake mushrooms, yam, onion, garlic, and pepper. Cover with lid and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 1.5-2.5 hours. When barley is soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed, turn off slow cooker. Stir once and let sit for 15 minutes. Divide equally among 4 plates as sprinkle each with ¼ cup cashews.

Stove-Top Version – Heat a splash of olive oil in a large, flat bottom pan or wok. Toss onions and mushrooms in, sauté for 5 minutes or until onions are clear. Rinse pot barley under cool running water, and add to the pan. Add beef broth, yam, onion, and pepper. Cook on simmer for for ~45 minutes, or until barley is cooked. (You can speed up this process by soaking your barley overnight – should take closer to 15-20 minutes.) Add garlic about 5 minutes before completion (to retain the most disease-preventing properties). When barley is soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed, turn off stove. Stir once and let sit for 15 minutes. Divide equally among 4 plates as sprinkle each with ¼ cup cashews.

Adapted from Alive Magazine, January 2009

Nutritional Value of Select Ingredients

Barley – This grain stimulates the liver and lymphatic systems, helping them to get rid of wastes. It aids in cholesterol control, bowel regularity, and is high in potassium.

Mushrooms – Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years for their medicinal properties. They help stimulate the immune system and protect against cardiovascular disease, free radicals, mutagens, and toxins. Maikake, reishi, and shiitake are the most studied for their medicinal properties, but all mushrooms have benefits. Highly nutritious, they contain protein, B vitamins, copper, magnesium, vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, folate, selenium, and iron.

Sweet Potato/Yam – A “power food”, sweet potatoes contribute to healthy gums and strong connective tissue, help promote the rapid healing of wounds, reduce the risk of cancer and osteoporosis, lower cholesterol levels, and protect against heart disease. Also high in fibre, minerals, and beta-carotene.

Onions – Because they are high in sulfur, onions help lower cholesterol, inhibit cancerous tumor growth, help manage diabetes, and are an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal food that are also a blood tonic. Eat them daily – raw or cooked.

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